And the God of fear
by Rebster04
Summary: The Librarians face up to their most feared foe. Some may not live to save the world twice from Friday. Established Eve/Flynn, maybe some Jassandra, perhaps, maybe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own The Librarians, unfortunately.

* * *

The annex was its usual chaotic work space. Flynn and Eve had just returned from their second vacation to warmer climates. Eve specified these trips as team bonding, however Ezekiel would protest not much team bonding between team mates can occur if half the team isn't invited.

Cassandra was huddled over a large and quite dusty book, trying her hardest to keep her pencil moving as fast as the visions flashing before her eyes. Jenkins and Ezekiel were arguing animatedly over the near coffee machine Ezekiel had insisted be installed in Jenkins' lab.

"….I can't help it if the back door doesn't offer a duty free service," exclaimed Flynn.

"I just think that we should go somewhere using an actual travel service for once."

"Just so you can shop in duty free?"

Eve coughed to bring Flynn's attention to the fact that they were not alone in the annex. Cassandra lifted her head from the page she had been reading, smiling as her eyes connected with her friends. Jenkins and Ezekiel paused momentarily to greet the newcomers.

"Aw, thank god you guys are back! Eve you have to tell Jenkins how good it's going to be having fresh coffee in the morning with the new machine I installed in the lab." Ezekiel had taken Eve's suitcase and sat it next to the back door as he ushered her over to Jenkins who had been stood at the head of the table.

Jenkins huffed at the insinuation, "May I remind Mr. Jones that it is not 'the lab', it is My lab. I have very important work to be done in there and it cannot be interrupted by the awful noises that escape your…machine."

Eve closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, "I love my job, I love my job…"

"Maybe I can intervene," said Flynn as he stepped forward, "Cassandra could you please give us an update on what pish-posh is going on?"

Cassandra let out a small sigh and pursed her lips, "Well, Jenkins needs a quiet workspace and Ezekiel put in a coffee machine that grinds the beans 35 hours, 23 minutes and 18 seconds ago and they've spent about half of that time arguing over the noise it makes."

Flynn clapped his hands together and let out a shriek, "Ah-hah! I have solved all your problems. The machine stays…"

Ezekiel whooped in triumph, Jenkins opened his mouth to protest. Flynn held up a finger to silence him.

"…But, it must be kept elsewhere."

Ezekiel groaned, "But where am I going to put it? All the mugs are in the lab!"

He turned on his heel to return to the lab with a grinning Jenkins close behind him.

Eve kissed Flynn on the cheek for solving the issue of the stress migraine she could feel forming at the back of head.

Cassandra came up to hug Eve and Flynn, "Welcome back guys, how was Athens?"

"It was so beautiful," Eve gushed.

* * *

Jake rummaged through the Greek mythology section of the Library. He had been working on a new article and required some extra information to be able to finish it. He ran his hand over several of the books, the dust gathering on his fingers. "No ones been here in a while…" he murmured to himself.

Suddenly one of the books, popped out from the rest of the books. Jake smiled to himself, the library always knew what he was looking for before he did. He plucked the book from the stacks and inspected the cover. It was black leather with deep dark red markings along the spine. The title didn't appear anywhere on the cover or inside the first few pages. He frowned as he thumbed through the first few pages and saw nothing at all, no words or markings, just blank pages. He thought Jenkins would be his best bet to investigate why the library would bring his attention to this book in particular.

He picked up the rest of his things and put the black book to the top of the pile he planned on carrying back to the annex.

When he arrived he found his fellow librarians and guardian chatting happily sitting around the table with what looked like freshly brewed coffee.

"You guys leave for 2 weeks and come back and he," he looked pointedly at Ezekiel, "just gets to keep the coffee machine?" He put his book pile down on the table beside Cassandra with a slam, making the red head jump slightly out of her seat. He slapped Flynn on the back as they hugged, "Nice to have you guys back I s'pose." Jake grinned as he settled beside Cassandra, the book sitting on top of the table soon forgotten.

* * *

Eve had been struggling to sleep due to the roaring sounds of Flynn's snoring. She tried pushing on his back in an attempt to turn him over onto his side, however it was no use. She crossed her arms over her chest knowing that sleep was far from her at this point.

As she glanced to the clock on her beside table she heard a small whimper coming from outside the door. The library had created spaces for each of the librarians that resembled their apartments from their last residences. This meant that they were never too far from their resources if troubled occurred.

Eve slowly turned her gaze to the door. The whimpering turned into a low groan as thin smoky tendrils reached under the door to turn the handle to open it. Eve's breath caught in her throat as she willed her body to move, to do something, anything other than sit completely still. As the door opened the smoky tendrils beckoned her to leave her bed and follow them. Against her will, her body began to move towards the door. She continued to follow the smoke to the annex where a large book was lying open upon the table. There was a scarlet glow underneath the book casting an insidious light on the annex. Stopping in front of it, the low groaning sounds morphed into a deep voice which quietly spoke to her.

"See what awaits…"

Eve looked into the pages as they swirled together forming a dark portal. She closed her eyes as the smoky tendrils pulled her face down into the portal. She gasped as she saw flashes of her librarians facing their darkest fears. Ezekiel, being unable to save them from the time loop and forced to watch his friends die again and again. Jake, sitting beside his father's deathbed without having mended their relationship. Cassandra, dying before getting the chance to live her newly established life. Flynn, following through on his plan to defeat Apep and having to leave Eve behind.

Not wishing to see anymore she ripped her face away from the portal and fell to the ground with a pained moan. The smoke began to move around the annex before stopping in front of Eve. She looked up to see the shape of a man before the smoke dissipated. Just as she was about to sigh in relief the smoke returned and made it's way up her nose and in her mouth. She struggled against it and let out a scream of anguish as she clawed at her face in an attempt to stop it from becoming a part of her. She felt her body lift from the ground as her eyes lit up with the same red from the book. She hit the ground again and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, I noticed that I kept calling Jacob 'Jake' in the last chapter! My baaaad...

Hope you enjoy this instalment :) I still don't own The Librarians.

-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-

Eve sat up quickly in bed clutching her chest and gasping for breath startling Flynn awake.

"Hey, woah, what's going on?" He sat up against the wall and reached for her.

She was breathing heavily as she spluttered out the start of several incoherent sentences, "I saw…I'm not…it was..."

"Slow down, deep breaths…" Flynn clasped his hands across her shoulders and started to over exaggerate his own breathing and encouraged her to follow him. He brushed the hair away from her face, "Calm okay…what happened?"

Eve's breathing slowly began to return to normal. She pushed the images of the smoke in the annex to the back of her mind, sighing in relief "It was just a bad dream."

Flynn could tell she was trying to convince herself as much as she was him.

"I'm going to take a shower," she glanced at the clock, the digits glaring back at her, "It's almost time to get to work." She smiled at Flynn and pushed the covers back before walking towards the bathroom. He smirked at his girlfriend as she closed the door behind her, letting out a groan as he flopped back onto the bed throwing an arm over his eyes.

"Oh Eve, before I forget, I have to go to Bolivia to retrieve an artefact that Jenkins' is after."

He could hear Eve murmuring her acceptance of this unplanned trip from behind the door.

* * *

"Where's Jenkins?" asked Jacob as he strolled into the annex taking a seat beside Ezekiel, "I've got somethin' I gotta ask him.'"

Cassandra tilted the screen of her laptop down to give Jacob her full attention, "He's been in his lab all week, did you check there?"

"What's he been doing in there anyways?" Ezekiel asked without lifting his head from his phone.

Cassandra shrugged and looked back to her screen, "I'm not sure. He mentioned testing something, but I don't know what."

Jacob looked to the pile of books he had left sitting the previous day. "Cass, did you move anythin' here to make space for your laptop?"

Cassandra peered over the screen, glancing around the small area of the table she was occupying. She pursed her lips,"…no," she turned to face Ezekiel who had his feet up on the table whilst reclining in his seat. His dirty shoes lying on top of a pile of papers, "Why?"

Jacob lifted a few of the books on the pile and shuffled through the other items lying around on the oversized desk, "The library found a book for me and I had been meanin' to ask Jenkins about it." He frowned as he checked under the desk too. "It ain't here anymore though," he growled in frustration.

"Are you sure you brought the book back, mate?" Ezekiel paused momentarily to smirk at Jacob from behind his phone, "Are you sure you didn't forget it?"

He glared at the young librarian as Cassandra snorted, "Stop pestering him Ezekiel," she turned her attention to Jacob, "What does it look like?"

"What does what look like?" asked a voice from above.

"Good morning Baird." Cassandra closed over her laptop and turned in her stool to greet the colonel, "Jake's lost a book he needs."

Jacob huffed, "I ain't lost it, it just ain't where I left it."

"C'mon mate, that's like the definition of lost it…" Ezekiel slung his arm around Jacob and attempted to ruffle his hair before the older man wretched his head away.

Cassandra rolled her eyes sharing a look with Eve, "Okay back to what it looked like, maybe I saw it yesterday?"

"It was covered in black leather with red markin's runnin' down the spine…"

Eve felt her blood run cold, she steadied herself against the table as Jacob continued to describe the book she had forced to the back of her mind.

"…It didn't have anythin' written on any of the pages and I didn't see the title of it either…"

She could feel the sweat starting to form on her forehead as the voices in the library grew distant.

"Eve?" Cassandra looked on concerned.

She gripped the edge of the table and struggled to place herself onto one of the stools.

"Baird, are you okay?"

Jacob sprang to catch her as her grip loosened and she began to fall off the stool and towards the ground.

* * *

"…and you said it came on very suddenly?" Eve recognised the deep voice of Jenkins.

"I don't know what happened, she just started breathing really heavily"

Eve slowly opened her eyes, pain splitting across her forehead. She groaned and brought her hands to her head.

"She's waking up!" Cassandra squealed.

"Please, no high pitched noises…"

Cassandra's face flushed in embarrassment as she murmured her apologises to the groggy blonde. Eve slowly sat up on the cot that she had been placed on, "Can we dim the lights or something?"

"You'll have a sore head for a little while Colonel." Jenkins reached an open palm towards her signalling for her to take the white painkillers. She threw them back and gratefully took the bottle of water from him.

"Thanks."

Ezekiel crossed his arms over his chest looking around at the other occupants in the room, "Soooo," he breathed out, "…that was weird, eh?"

Cassandra smacked his arm, turning to Jacob raising her eyebrows in silent conversation to suggest he ask Baird what had gone on.

"What happened Baird? One minute we're discussin' books, the next I'm pullin' a hamstring trying to stop you hittin' the floor."

"I don't know, I just felt really hot all of a sudden and then….nothing." Eve struggled to remember what they had been talking about before everything went black.

Suddenly, Eve's vision clouded over and she could feel herself losing control of her body. She stood up abruptly pushing the cot away from her.

Jacob moved slightly to stand in front of Cassandra and Ezekiel, "Uhh…"

Eve's eyes shimmered with a deep scarlet colour. She felt her head thrust back with a sickening crack. Jenkins and the librarians stepped backwards and watched in horror as their Guardian slowly brought her head back down. Her face crumpled into a look of pure evil as she began to creep towards them.

"Baird, what's going on?"

Cassandra stepped forward and lifted her arms up to grasp eve's sides, "Eve, are you okay?"

Jenkins pulled her back as slowly as possible before she had the chance to settle her arms on the increasingly animalistic Eve, "Miss. Cillian, I suggest you don't go near the Colonel at this time…"

Cassandra whimpered as Eve continued towards them. Jacob pushed forward to put himself in between Baird and the others.

"Baird, stand back."

She began to get too close to the group for Jacob's liking.

"I'm warnin' you Baird, one more step and I'll be forced to do somethin' I don't wanna do…"

Jacob had just finished his sentence as Baird lunged towards them.

"Jake!"

The sound his fist made as it connected with Eve's face was deafening.

The silence that followed was worse.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, I'm back with the newest instalment. This is one of the longest stories I've ever written, so I'm hoping that you guys are enjoying it!

I am definitely not an expert on Greek mythology and have made up a whole bunch of stuff to suit the story :) Still don't own the Librarians *sadface*...on with the chapter!

* * *

After Jacob had managed to subdue Baird, they decided it was better for everyone's wellbeing that she be kept isolated in one of the many rooms of the Library. A room preferably with a lock. Cassandra sat nervously tapping her fingers against the solid oak of the oversized table. The voices of her fellow librarians started to drift along the hallway as they returned from the main library. She stood quickly from her chair and moved to open the glass doors.

"How is she? What happened? Did she wake up? Where's Flynn? Should we phone him? Guys?"

"Slow down Cassandra, she's still unconscious." Jake touched her arm in an effort to comfort her.

Ezekiel turned to Jacob throwing his hands into the air, "What the hell actually happened, eh?" He swivelled round to Jenkins after Jacob opened and closed his mouth several times without saying a word.

"I think we can definitely conclude that Colonel Baird has been possessed by some ancient entity." Jenkins moved swiftly over to his own desk and began to search for something within the masses of paper that lay there.

"Possessed?" squealed Cassandra, sheepishly shrugging off the arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Jacob moved away from Cassandra slightly, "Posses-…wait what? We were all standin' here when she started freakin' out! Why were we not affected?"

Jenkins pulled out a small grey pocket book from beneath the mess, "That's exactly what we need to find out Mr. Stone."

He moved to stand beside the chalkboard before opening his pocketbook and dragging his finger down several of the pages. He picked up a piece of chalk and pointed it to one of the librarians, "Jacob start from the beginning, what were you all discussing right before Eve's behaviour changed?"

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, "I was describin' a book that I had misplaced."

Cassandra nodded her head energetically, "Jacob was asking if we had seen it because it wasn't where he left it the night before."

"What book did you lose?" Jenkins tapped the chalk against his chin spinning around to face the disappointingly blank chalkboard.

"Sounded like something from a cult…" Ezekiel piped up from his seated position at Eve's desk where he had been looking for clues.

"It didn't have a title on the cover or any writin' inside it either."

"But you said that the markings were very distinct," remembered Cassandra.

"Yeah, it was covered in black leather with deep red welts down the spine."

Jenkins immediately straightened his back and swiftly turned to face Jacob, "…and you said there was no writing inside the book?"

"Yeah…" said Jacob slowly while nodding. Ezekiel had moved to stand beside Cassandra and shared a look of confusion with his friends.

Jenkins started flicking through his little pocketbook and without looking up asked, "Where did you find this book?"

"The library showed it to me."

The older gentleman stopped on one of the pages and began to shake his head, he moved the book so that the others could see what had caused the colour to drain from his face. On the page was a sketch of the book that Jacob had brought into the annex the previous night. The heading 'Phobos: God of Fear' was inscribed above the small drawing.

"I don't think it was the library who brought it to your attention…"

* * *

Eve was engulfed in darkness. There was just nothing. She could feel something unsettling wrapping around her neck, wrists and ankles.

A loud stoic voice boomed above her.

"You brought this on yourself…so driven by fear."

A smoky figure appeared in front of her. She recognised it from her nightmare the night before. She then noticed the restraints on her body were extending out from the figure like the tendrils that had beckoned her toward the annex previously.

"Fear of yourself. Fear of loneliness. Fear of loss."

Eve started to struggle against the restraints.

"You know this to be true. You can't escape from fear. It cripples you, makes you weak."

The figure circled around her. She stopped struggling to glare at it.

"My fear does not make me weak, it strengthens me, makes me fight harder for the ones I love."

The figure lunged towards her, tightening the smoke around her neck. She looked into the two red orbs she assumed to be eyes.

"You fight harder because you are afraid of losing them. Your fear dictates your actions."

It was at this point that Eve swore she could see an insidious smile spread across the figure's 'face'.

"Why bother fighting when you know you will never succeed?"

Eve's eye cast downwards as the figure's words washed over her.

"You know that you will always let them down. You can never be what they need you to be."

One of the tendrils tipped Eve's head to look into the eyes of the unknown entity.

"Where are they now Eve? They've already left you."

It was at this moment Eve's eyes shot open and she found herself in a dark, damp cell. She brought her knees up to her chest and began to sob quietly.

* * *

"So the little pocketbook is full of dangerous artefacts that are still hidden out there in the world?" asked Cassandra.

"Precisely Miss. Cillian," Jenkins sat the little grey book down in the middle of the table and had turned to a book on Greek mythology, "I've sent Flynn to Bolivia to retrieve one of them. He'll be practically unreachable." Jenkins sighed, "Obviously I didn't think anything like this would happen when I asked him to leave."

Cassandra squeezed his arm and smiled her famous thousand-watt smile, "It's okay Jenkins, we're gonna fix her before he gets back!"

He was grateful for her enthusiasm, but he pitied her ignorance regarding the severity of the situation.

He began to explain to the librarians where the book originated, "Phobos was the Greek god of fear. His twin brother Deimos was the god of terror. Surprisingly they were born from love and beauty…"

Jacob cut in, "Aphrodite?"

"Indeed Mr. Stone. But their father was the god of war, Ares." He turned to the book splayed on the table, "Before Phobos could wreak any more havoc on Greece he was condemned to continue his immortality inside a book very similar to the one you described beforehand."

Jacob pointed his finger as he remembered some research he had done on an article a few years back, "He wasn't depicted in any Greek legend because he made people acknowledge their deepest darkest fears from within their heads, he was never seen. The people were so aware of their fears that it would eventually drive them insane."

Ezekiel's eyes widened, "So you're trying to tell me that this Phobob guy hasn't possessed Baird, but has made her scared?" He shook his head incredulously, "Baird isn't scared that easily, why target her?"

Cassandra nodded along with Ezekiel considering her own mortality, "I agree, Eve doesn't seem like the logical target."

"Ah Cassandra, that's the worst thing about fear," Jenkins anxiously fiddled with his tie, "The ones who appear the strongest are often the easiest to break."

The young librarians shared a look of dismay before they were cut off by a gut-wrenching wail.


	4. Chapter 4

Evening folks, getting into the nitty gritty of the story now, hope you are all enjoying it! Bit more going on in this chapter, but it was hard trying to get the characters emotions just right, I hope I did them justice! Enjoy :)

* * *

Eve moved into one of the corners of the room. She had tucked her legs against her body trying to be as small as possible. Sobbing, she could feel the walls of the cell closing in. The space was becoming smaller and smaller. She started to gasp for breath as the air in the room depleted. Before she could stop herself she opened her mouth and let out a strangled cry.

The librarians slid to a halt outside of the room that they had left an unconscious Baird in. On the door was a long narrow window that all three of them crowded round to see through.

"I don't see her!" Cassandra looked around the room frantically. The walls of the room were covered in bookcases, there was a long upholstered couch at the far side of the room. Cassandra noticed blonde hair sticking out from behind the furniture, "There she is! Open the door Jake, quickly!"

"Not yet" Jenkins roared as he marched swiftly towards to door.

Ezekiel turned to him and said incredulously, "What? She could be in there dying, mate!"

Jenkins moved them from the window to glance in at the guardian. He grimaced at her dishevelled appearance, "She's already quite far gone…"

"What do you mean gone? We have to get in there!" Jake spat while reaching for the door.

Jenkins held his hands up to stop the angry cowboy, "We don't know how she'll react in this state. We have to wait until she calms down."

Cassandra whimpered and looked through the window at Baird helplessly. Jake stomped over to the other side of the corridor and punched his hand against the wall.

"I don't understand…" Ezekiel scratched at the back of his neck, eyes glistening, "…isn't there anything we could do to help?"

Jenkins exhaled and looked to the concerned librarians. He knew he had to explain.

"Fear is a difficult thing. The reason Phobos was deemed to be the most dangerous of the gods was due to the complicated nature of his abilities." He paused to glance through the window, Baird's sobs echoing through the thin wood of the door. "Those who are infected by Phobos become paranoid, anxious and are constantly on the edge of self-destruction. Their fears become the driving force of their emotions and actions, there is no telling what they are capable of. The most terrifying aspect of fear is the loneliness of it; once it has wrapped around your mind it seeps into every moment of your being. Colonel Baird will be experiencing things we cannot even fathom." Cassandra swiped at her eyes wiping away the few tears that had managed to escape. "She will hear and see things that, to us, don't exist. However, for her, they will be very real…"

Jake let his head fall into his hands as he slid down the wall into a sitting position. Ezekiel placed his hand against the glass as he looked through at his guardian with a pained expression.

* * *

Eve covered her ears to muffle the sounds reverberating around the tiny cell. The space had not increased in size, although she was not finding it as difficult to breathe anymore. She rocked back and forth humming trying to block out the screeching. Suddenly, she could her Ezekiel. His voice a welcome break from the unbearable static and screaming.

"zeke-…Ezekiel?" She croaked, her throat dry and scratchy from her uncontrollable sobbing, "Is that you?"

Just as she finished her question Ezekiel became to scream out in pain, "You did this! Cassandra and Stone are _dead_ because of you!" Eve shook her head as a fresh wave of tears were unleashed. She brought her hands back up to her ears, "…no, no, no, NO, NO!"

"You were our guardian! You were supposed to be the one to save us!" He let out another howl of agony.

Eve started to whisper softly sounding defeated, "I tried…I did everything I could." She then fell over onto her side sinking into the comfort of unconsciousness.

* * *

Cassandra's head popped up from Jacob's shoulder. She untangled her arms from his and slowly crawled over to the door where Ezekiel had fallen asleep against the frame. Baird had been in distress for a few hours, however all was quiet now. Jenkins had returned to the annex to do some research to find a way to recue Baird from the suffering, the others couldn't bear to leave her.

Cassandra sighed in relief to see Baird had only fallen asleep and something more permanent hadn't occurred. She stood up and shook of the tension that had formed across her shoulders. Standing in front of the thin barrier that separated her from her distressed friend, Cassandra couldn't help but feel the temptation of opening the door wash over her. She glanced down at a sleeping Ezekiel and slowly stretched her hand towards the brass handle.

"Don't." Cassandra instantly shot away from the door, ripping her hand from the cool metal. "Jenkins said that wouldn't be such a good idea, 'member?"

She turned, wide eyed, "Jake, I thought you were asleep."

He smiled at her as she lowered her eyes and studied her shoes. He knew that she only wanted to check on their guardian and friend; he felt the same desire, although he was finding it easier to dampen the temptation as he didn't want to risk Baird's health. Cassandra moved back to sit beside him, crossing her legs in front of her. She fiddled with the strap of her watch, trying to distract herself. This gave Stone the opportunity to study her face. It was slightly puffy from her crying, eyes still red and streaked with dry tears and mascara. After everything they had witnessed today, she was still so beautiful to him. He surprised himself with how easy this was to admit. The situation with Baird had left him considering his own fears. One of which had been in front of his face along.

She looked up at him, "…what?"

Jacob took a deep breath, "Nothin'…I just….I wanted to…"

Ezekiel yawned loudly and stretched his arms above his head, interrupting the other two librarians. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and then seemed to remember why they were down in the main library in the first place. He whipped his head around to face the door.

"Is she alright?"

"She's sleepin', man."

Cassandra stood up and smoothed her hands over her skirt, "I think we should go help Jenkins. Staring at Baird isn't going to help her." The others nodded in agreement, Ezekiel's stomach groaning in hunger.

All three of them peered through the glass one final time, reluctant to leave.

"Wait, I've got an idea…"

Cassandra and Stone looked at each other in confusion as Ezekiel sped off in the direction of the annex. He returned a few moments later holding a small tripod and camera. He set both items up in front of the door.

"Tah-dah!" He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it towards the others, beaming at them, "This way we can see everything from the annex in case Baird needs us."

On the screen was the feed from the camera.

"…she'll be right in my pocket!"

* * *

Jenkins was busy fussing over the various beakers and vials of liquid that covered the table in his lab when the young librarians descended on the annex. Ezekiel had disappeared to the upper mezzanine to order some food to be delivered as they didn't plan on straying too far from their Guardian. Jacob had gone to the shower rooms to freshen up, offering to retrieve a change of clothes for Cassandra too. She had gone to the lab.

"How are you getting on Mr. Jenkins?"

He sighed tersely bringing a thin vial up to his eye level, "I have carried out some extra research, however I am no further forward with any treatment."

"Is there a cure for fear? Was one ever documented?" She started to flick through the pages of the open book lying on Jenkins' desk.

"Miss. Cillian, I am afraid that the only remedy is usually to face your fears…" He placed the bubbling vial down into a stand and gripped the edge of the counter, "…which Colonel Baird may not live to do if she continues this way."

Casandra refused to remove her eyes from the page, even though she was struggling to read any of the words, tears threatening to fall once again, "Okay so…she has to face up to whatever is scaring her…" she was trying to sound as cheery and optimistic as possible. "…can't we help with that?"

"It would need to be her deepest fear, the one she holds closest to her heart. The unfortunate thing is we don't truly know what that is as we cannot see what she is experiencing…" He punctuated his sentence by pounding his fist against the counter in frustration, his voice cracking very slightly. Cassandra jumped with the severity of his outburst. He exhaled and cleared his throat, "Excuse me Miss. Cillian…I apolo-"

"Don't," She gripped his arm in an attempt to soothe him, "It's okay to be upset."

He smiled at her, "Thank you."

Jacob's voice interrupted the two, "Food's here!"

Cassandra turned to him, "Ezekiel ordered some food, most likely pizza. Would you like to join us?"

"Thank you for the offer Miss. Cillian, but I am not very hungry."

She stopped at the door and glanced back at him, pursing her lips before leaving to join the others in the annex.


	5. Chapter 5

After eating dinner in the annex, the three librarians returned to work. Finding a treatment was proving to be difficult. The annex was silent apart from intermittent tapping from the keys on the keyboard and the rustling of book pages. Ezekiel was struggling to keep his eyes open, his head every so often dropping down and then instantly perking back up. Cassandra moved to his side, "Zeke, you should get some sleep. You won't be any help to Baird like this."

"I can't leave Cass, not when we're no further forward…" He looked over to the screen on his phone. The Colonel was pacing back and forth while shaking her head and clutching her fists. She looked exhausted.

"Cassie is right Ezekiel. We all need clear heads," Jacob rubbed his hand across his face, "Why don't we take it in turns to get some sleep."

Cassandra nodded her head, "You go first, Jake and I will stay and keep at it." She was afraid that he would too stubborn to leave and it would lead to an argument. She was relieved when his head drooped and he whispered his surrender. He must have been very tired to give in so easily she thought. He took the stairs to the upper floor of the library and disappeared amongst the bookshelves.

"Do you think Baird will want some food?"

Jacob shrugged turning back to the computer.

* * *

Eve woke to wetness on her cheek. The pipe above her head had started to leak making the cell seem even damper. She sat up quickly looking around the cell. It had returned to its original size, although it was still very small. A glass window had appeared on one of the walls. She scrambled to get up and look through it, chocking back the sob that threatened to escape. She could leave the cell through the window. She brought her fist against the window shattering the glass, scattering jagged pieces around the cell and cutting her hand.

She hissed in pain and brought her bloody hand to her stomach. She shifted some of the glass towards the wall with her foot. She looked back to the hole that used to be a window finding a fresh pane of glass. She screamed in frustration kicking the shattered glass spreading it across the cell. A glint of light caught her eye. A particularly large piece of glass lay within reach. She kneeled down to lift it and balanced it in her palms, she could see her reflection. Her eyes were dark and bloodshot. The temptation to take severe action and end her torture was becoming increasingly hard to squash.

Her considerations were interrupted by the voice she was sadly becoming familiar with, "Do it."

Her eyebrows furrowed, the voice helping her make up her mind, "Never."

"You're weak Eve. Do it."

She narrowed her eyes, "I'm weak? I'm here still fighting, where are you?"

The door to the cell opened slowly revealing the dark smoky figure that plagued her existence. Eve dropped the piece of glass and flew towards the figure as it slipped through the door raining her fists down on its body.

"Is that all the mighty Colonel Baird is capable of?"

Her eyes blazed red with fury as she brought her leg up to kick the figure. Her foot connected with its chest and it hit the wall with a thud, slumping down. She grabbed the sides of the black mass' head slamming it into the wall again and again.

The figure cackled, "Fear has driven you to destruction, Eve."

At the mention of her name she filled with rage. Finding an incredible amount of strength she didn't know she possessed, she lifted the figure and threw it across the cell. Screaming, she lifted the large piece of glass bringing it down into the smoky figure's upper body. The figure laughed again as red began to seep around the area where the piece of glass stuck out from its chest.

"Well done Colonel Baird."

Eve breathed heavily as she collapsed against one of the walls. The figure started to splutter and red began to slip down the side of its mouth, "Let's see how you deal with real fear."

She turned her head to look at the figure, gasping as it disappeared revealing a flash of bright colour.

* * *

Jenkins rushed into the annex at the same time Ezekiel walked down the stairs from the upper level. Jake was slumped over the keyboard of Cassandra's laptop, asleep.

"Mr. Stone!" Jenkins called breathlessly. Jacob's head shot up from the keyboard. Ezekiel stifled a laugh as Jenkins continued, "I think I've figured out a way to relieve Colonel Baird from her suffering."

This caught their attention as the older caretaker struggled to catch his breath.

Ezekiel shouted exasperated, "Well out with it Jenkins!"

"The Colonel can be saved if she is confronted with her worst fear."

Jacobs shook his head, "I thought we couldn't do that if we didn't know what her fear was!"

"Yes, however we do know what Colonel Baird's ultimate fear is," He paused and gestured around him, "We've always known! It's been right in front of us this whole time!"

Jacob and Ezekiel waited for him to continue while Jenkins waited for them to come to the conclusion on their own. Jacob clenched his fists and threw them into the air, "Come on man!"

Jenkins pulled down on his suit jacket, "Baird is terrified of losing a librarian…."

The two librarians looked at each other, "…aaww."

Ezekiel then turned to Jenkins, "But wait…that doesn't explain how we help her."

"Well, I have been working on a way we can do this." Jacob and Ezekiel both sat down at the table listening intently to Jenkins as he explained his plan, "We simulate an event in which Colonel Baird experiences the loss of a librarian. This will then rid her of her fear and release her from Phobos' grasp."

Ezekiel rubbed his hands together as Jenkins moved to the head of the table, "Sounds good. How are we going to do this then?"

"Well, before we start I need Miss. Cillian to calculate the…" Jenkins paused looking around the annex, "…where is Cassandra?"

* * *

Eve wasn't in a cell anymore. She wasn't surrounded by bleak, damp walls. She wasn't locked in an inescapable room. She was in the library. In a comfortably warm room with books and beautiful furniture.

But this didn't matter. Eve didn't see anything of these things. She couldn't peel her eyes away from the dying smoky figure in the corner of the room. Although, it wasn't a dark, smoky figure anymore. It was Cassandra.

There was a metal tray lying abandoned near the door. Underneath it was cold pizza and a smashed glass.

Eve couldn't move from her spot against one of the bookcases. She wasn't in control. Hot, silent tears streamed down her face. She hadn't…

Cassandra's face was chalk white making the streaks of crimson that ran from her mouth even more prominent. The gash above her eyebrow was also wet with crimson. Her right eye was puffy and had turned a deep shade of violet. Her beautiful green floral shirt had been shredded in the middle. A jagged piece of glass protruding outward from one of the flowers. Her legs stuck out from beneath her purple skater skirt, knees scraped and bruising, her left ankle turning at an awkward angle.

Eve slowly crawled over to the librarian. She sat before the young red-head and let out a shriek of anguish. Grasping for the girl she pulled her into her lap and held on for dear life. She rocked back and forth while screaming as much as her lungs would let her, her throat becoming hoarse and scratchy.

A thin coil of dark smoke ran under the closed door escaping the scene.

* * *

Sorrrrrrrrrrry...cliffhangers!  
There's maybe 1 or 2 chapters left and then the story will be finished. Will Cassandra make it? Will Eve cope with what she's done? Stay tuned. Comments will be greatly appreciated, lets me know what I'm doing is good!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, this was a tricky one to write, hoping its okay for you guys! (Also realised that my little lines haven't been showing up, so I'll need to figure out how to fix that! - Sorry)

* * *

Jacob's snoring echoed around the annex startling Cassandra. She looked up from the book she had been reading and put down her pencil smiling at him. She couldn't help but notice how cute he was when he was asleep. Shaking that thought off, she looked to Ezekiel's phone and saw Baird lying on her side, her back facing the camera set up at the door. The leftover pizza had been moved into one of the boxes. Cassandra moved silently over to the small kitchenette area the Library often supplied when they were eating in the Annex. She carefully lifted a metal tray from one of the cabinets and placed it on the counter. Trying to avoid making any noise that may alert Stone to her intentions, she decided against using the microwave to warm up the pizza. She hoped Baird would be hungry enough that she wouldn't mind eating it cold. She finished by taking a glass and filling it with water, placing all of the items on the tray. Cassandra gave one last look to a sleeping Jacob before leaving the annex and heading through the archives.

Nearing the room that held Baird, she slowed her pace listening carefully for any noise that might let her know if Baird had awoken. After hearing dead silence she gradually moved to the door and peeked in through the window. She could see that Baird was no longer asleep, she was however crouched down holding something in her hands. Her mouth was moving as though she was talking to someone or something inside the room. Steadying the tray against her hip, Cassandra reached out for the door handle and opened it slowly so as not to startle Baird. She barely made it a few steps into the room before Baird barrelled towards her.

Cassandra struggled against her as she began throwing her fists out making contact with Cassandra's chest and stomach. She cried out in pain when a punch landed on her side, the wind being knocked out of her.

Eve's eyes seemed to glow with the red colour that Cassandra had seen before, her nostrils flared in anger as she brought her leg up to kick the small red head.

With the force of the kick, Cassandra hit the far wall and wilted. She whimpered and weakly brought her hands up to shield her face, "Bai-…Eve, please…"

Her vision began to blur as Eve grabbed the sides of her head and repeatedly slammed it into the wall. By this point her mind went into overdrive as she began calculating the rate at which she would fall unconscious. Before she could come to any conclusions, her vision swam with darkness and she fell into the inviting blackness.

* * *

Ezekiel rubbed his hands together as Jenkins moved to the head of the table, "Sounds good. How are we going to do this then?"

"Well, before we start I need Miss. Cillian to calculate the…" Jenkins paused looking around the annex, "…where is Cassandra?"

Jacob glanced at the empty space Cassandra had been occupying before he had fallen asleep, "She was right there…" He pointed and then moved towards the end of the workspace, "…maybe she's looking for something in the archives?"

"We could just call 'er." Ezekiel looked around on the table, "I don't see her phone anywhere, she must have it."

"Nah, she had to charge it earlier. I think she left it in the lab." Jacob shrugged.

Ezekiel reached for his own phone, lifting it before it emitted a loud sound, "Argh…I should have charged mine too!"

Jacob sighed, "So you can hack into government satellites to watch cricket matches, but you don't remember to charge your darn phone when it's a live feed of Baird?!"

Ezekiel plugged the phone in while feigning shock by covering his gaping mouth with a hand, "I am beyond offended that you assume I watch cricket!"

Jenkins shook his head at the two librarians and glanced at the end of the table noticing a black leather bound book that had not been there before. He immediately straightened his back as he subdued a shiver as he turned to look at the door, "Gentlemen…"

"Jones I swear, now is not the time to be makin' jokes!"

"Mr. Stone…"

"What Jenkins?" Jacob turned suddenly, his blood instantly turning cold. Jones looked beyond Stone to see a black smoky figure standing at the door that lead to the archives.

"The Colonel was tough…" The figure's voice was low and unsettling. He moved soundlessly into the room and stopped at the foot of the table.

Jenkins stood in front of the two librarians protectively, "Phobos, I didn't think we would have the pleasure of meeting you in the…flesh."

Jacob glared at the figure and considered what the wispy smoke was capable of. He looked at Ezekiel and knew he was thinking the same. Surely it could just be wafted away?

The smoke appeared to smirk, "You are a very magical being, 'Jenkins'. Not as easily infected as your colleagues." Phobos appeared to start searching around on the table, "Your Colonel, although tough, was very easy to break. It did not take very much before she was taking drastic action."

Stone slammed his hand onto the table in anger, "Damnit! What the hell have you done to Baird?!"

The Greek god laughed with mirth as he used several smoky tendrils to bring the black leather book to his chest, "Colonel Baird has been presented with an opportunity to face her greatest fear. Are you missing one of your precious Librarians, Mr. Jenkins?"

Jacob growled and pushed past Jenkins to lunge at the figure. He thought he might pass through the smoke completely, however he was able to grab it around the waist sending them both to the floor, the book falling from the god's clutch to slip under one of the desks. Jacob recovered quickly to straddle the figure and thundered his fists down on top of its head. Ezekiel used the distraction to slide on his knees along the floor to reach the book under the desk. A smoky tendril gripped his ankle as he attempted to run towards Jenkins, tripping him up causing him to hit his head on the ground and let go of the book. Jacob paused slightly after hearing Ezekiel cry out, giving Phobos the chance to overpower him and throw him on to the table. The smoky figure stretched a single tendril out to circle around the book. Before he could reach it, Jenkins kicked the book back towards Ezekiel who opened it up. A dark grey swirling vortex erupted from the pages pulling everything in the annex towards it.

Phobos let out a grunt as it spread several thin tendrils around the room in an attempt to avoid being sucked into the vortex. Ezekiel and Jenkins held onto the table legs to steady themselves and keep them from falling forward. Jacob slid along the table and landed on the floor near Ezekiel who held a hand out for him to latch onto. He was close enough to issue one last kick to Phobos' head. The god let out a final cry as he was pulled into the vortex. The book then closed over, pieces of paper fluttering to the floor as the wind caused by the vortex disappeared.

The three men all breathed heavily, their chests heaving. Ezekiel and Jacob allowed their heads to fall to the floor. Jenkins stood and picked up the black leather book, "Colonel Baird should be back to her normal self now…"

Jacob sat up and slowly remembered why he had become so angry in the first place, "We still haven't found Cassandra. What did he say before he went into the book?"

By this time, Ezekiel had stood to turn his phone back on and check on Baird's condition. He was not prepared for what he saw letting the phone clatter to the ground.

"Mr. Jones, what on earth…"

He turned, his face translucent, "I found Cassandra."

* * *

Cassandra felt cold in Eve's grasp. She touched her finger around the wound caused by the glass. It had stopped bleeding. That was not good. She had stopped crying, her eyes still rimmed red and bloodshot. Her arms were sore from holding on to the poor girl so tightly, but she was not going to let go. She continued to rock back and forth, the movement soothing her.

She barely registered the hurried footsteps and yelling coming along the corridor until Jenkins' face appeared in front of hers. He gripped her chin and moved her until she was looking at him.

"Colonel, I'm going to need you to let go."

She shook her head and tightened her grip around Cassandra. Jacob had fallen to his knees at the red head's legs, tears running down his face. Ezekiel had stood motionless at the door, he didn't dare come any closer.

"Colonel, I can help Miss. Cillian, but I need you to let go." He wrapped his arm around her and used his other hand to loosen her fingers and eventually he got her to let go.

Jacob's face had reddened, "I'm going to shred him." His knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists.

Jenkins manoeuvred Cassandra into his arms, her legs dangling. He moved towards the door, signalling for Ezekiel to help Eve.

"It wasn't him." Eve had slumped down, completely defeated.

Jacob looked up and placed his hand on her leg, "…I don't understand."

The spark in Eve's eyes had disappeared and Jacob didn't like the bleak grey that resided there now.

"She's dead..." A lone tear slipped down her cheek, "…and I killed her."


	7. Chapter 7

Jenkins laid the unmoving red head on the top of his grey metal table. He couldn't bear to look at her bruised face for too long or it would become too hard to do what he had to. He moved over to the vials and beakers he had been working on before Baird had become infected. Adding two of the coloured liquids together into one tube he swirled it around in the glass until it turned bright green. He placed it down next to Cassandra's lifeless form. He turned his back to her and gripped the counter. He put on the tap and let the water run over his hands, washing the streaks of crimson from them. Lowering his head, he allowed the emotions of the day to wash over him also. He only allowed the tears to reach his waterline and go no further, he would not cry as though someone had been lost. He could never allow himself, especially when there was the smallest possibility she would come back to them. He breathed deeply before reeling around to get to work. Reaching a hand out to stroke the unbruised side of her face he whispered, "This is going to work..."

Gripping the large piece of glass still poking out from her green shirt, he pulled it free leaving a long, narrow gash in her chest. He sat the glass aside and lifted the tube filled with green liquid. It hadn't been tested. He had only just cracked the formula. He knew it was wrong to pin all his hopes on this. But he had to do something.

He poured a small amount of the liquid on the gash and closed his eyes as tight as they would go praying for any signs of life. He only opened them after hearing a short gasp from beside him.

* * *

Eve continued to rock back and forth on the chair Jacob and Ezekiel had placed her in.

They watched from afar as their normally cool, calm and collected Guardian continued to mumble incoherently.

"What do you think actually happened?" Ezekiel was finding it difficult to get the image of a beaten Cassandra out of his head.

Jacob scratched at the back of his neck, "I dunno, man. I just….I don't think she woulda…" He exhaled trying to find the words.

Ezekiel quickly wiped away a tear that threatened to fall, "I've never seen someone look so broken."

Jacob stood abruptly and moved to the chair that Baird was sitting in. He grabbed the throw on the back of the chair and wrapped it around her, along with his arms. She started crying again and babbling incomprehensibly about a cell and a smoky figure and Cassandra.

Ezekiel eventually crouched down in front of her and placed his hands on her legs, "Baird, look at me."

She continued to babble and shift her eyes around the room until Ezekiel held onto her chin and waited until her eyes focused on his.

"Bai-…Eve, relax, okay?" Baird's shoulders visibly sank as she lowered herself into Jacob's embrace.

Ezekiel didn't want to push too hard but they had to find out what had gone on, "Can you tell us what happened?"

She sniffled and rubbed her hands across her face taking in a deep breath, "…I can't" She turned to Jacob with a pleading look in her eyes, "…I, I didn't mean to…It wasn't her, and then…it was…"

She started shaking her head and clawing at her ears.

Ezekiel took her hands into his own and used his fingers to draw lazy circles on her palms. He noticed her chest had stopped heaving and she seemed to relax under his touch.

Jacob tightened his hold on her, "What could you see down there?"

"You put me in a…a cell. I thought…that you had abandoned me…you gave up on me and left me there forever." Her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I kept hearing your voices," the last word escaped as a sob, "you were in pain, and it was my….my fault." She fell into Jacob's grasp, her head resting on his shoulder and let her tears run free. She was completely exhausted.

"We're here Baird. We're all here for you, you didn't do anything to make us want to leave you." Ezekiel tried to stop the tears that rolled down from his eyes by wiping them on his hoodie.

Jacob struggled to speak to Eve as he remembered how Cassandra had looked when they found them. He knew it wasn't her fault, but he couldn't help the insidious thought of Eve hurting his Cassandra. His? She wasn't his. Not anymore. She wasn't anyone's anymore…

That was it. Something in him snapped. He wretched away from Baird, pulling his arms away from her and standing up, "What the hell went on down there Baird?"

He felt his chest tighten as he breathed heavily through his nose, "She didn't end up like that for nuthin'!"

Eve heaved and put her hand up to her mouth speaking very softly as if only realising it herself, "It was the figure, he came into the room and I attacked him."

Jacob listened carefully as the guardian continued.

"There was some glass on the floor and I used it to…to…" She paused, reliving it over in her mind, "…I stabbed him with the glass…"

Jacob crossed his arms across his chest, "and then what?"

"The smoke faded away…it stopped being the dark grey figure…" She clenched her eyes shut, "I had been attacking Cassandra…and she wasn't breathing…I kille-"

"No, you didn't" A voice croaked from behind them.

They all looked towards the corridor leading towards Jenkins' lab, shock written all over their faces. Eve rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things again. Jacob was speechless – he could speak several different ancient languages fluently, but he couldn't find the words to describe his elation. Ezekiel fell from his knees to a sitting position and became the first of the three to speak.

"Cassandra?"

Jenkins stood beside a decidedly less pale Cassandra who hung onto his arm. Her face was still badly bruised and the gash above her eyebrow looked red and angry, although it had been stitched. She was leaning against Jenkins for support as her damaged ankle had been bandaged. She was wearing the same skirt, but had gotten rid of the tattered shirt, opting for one of Jacob's oversized plaid shirts.

Jenkins helped her hop over to the remaining Librarians and their guardian, an uncharacteristic smile on his face. Eve instantly moved over to let her sit down on the chair and flung her arms around her.

"Oh my God Cassandra, I am so sorry. I thought I had…"

Cassandra called out from underneath her arms, "Baird, I still need to breathe…"

She flushed in embarrassment and pulled back, "Sorry, I just needed to know this was real." Cassandra reached out and wiped at the tears falling from Eve's eyes, "I didn't know that it was you…I'm so sorry!"

Ezekiel grabbed onto Cassandra's uninjured leg from where he had been sitting on the floor, "I'm so glad you didn't actually die!" He squeezed his face against her thigh mumbling his words.

She stifled a laugh at his lack of subtlety, "Thanks, me too."

Jacob had moved to stand near the table, dabbing at his eyes making sure no one could see the tears that had fallen. He still couldn't find any words to describe the relief he felt. Whirling around he stopped to see Cassandra looking at him, a small smile on her face. He made a decision then and there, he wasn't going to miss another opportunity to confront his own fears. He smiled back and slowly started walking towards her. Once he reached her he bent down, placed his hand at the back of her head and brought her lips to his in a short, sweet kiss. Baird's mouth hung open as Ezekiel squawked in excitement. Jenkins shook his head and returned to his lab with a small smile on his face, not that he'd let the others see it. Jacob pulled away slowly, pleased with himself and the look he had left on her face. Cassandra slowly opened her eyes, murmuring "Took ya long enough!"

The others laughed, a welcome change from all the crying that they had been doing. Eve put her arms back around Cassandra, "How did you…", she motioned to her chest area, still not able to say the words.

"Jenkins managed to pin down the formula for that green liquid Flynn used on you before."

Jacob finally piped up from his position sitting on the floor in front of Cassandra and beside Ezekiel, "Is that what he's been doin' in his lab all this time?"

Ezekiel sighed, "Talk about lucky, eh mate?"

Cassandra smiled and cleared her throat, "Could we have a minute on our own, guys?" She flicked a finger between herself and Baird.

"Yeah…sure." Both men stood and walked towards Jenkin's lab, not without taking a second look at the injured red head before ducking out. Eve rubbed her sweaty palms on her trousers and tried to stomp down the word vomit she could feel rising up.

"Cassandra, I'm s-"

She held a hand up to silence Eve.

"Don't apologise again. You already have too many times. I need you to listen…" She took Eve's hands into her own. "I know that you didn't mean to hurt me. I know what it's like to see things that aren't there. We all watched what was happening to you, it was so excruciating to see you like that." Eve could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. "I don't want you to beat yourself up over this because I know you will. Don't get trapped inside your own head. We're here if you need to talk. This job is so fantastic and magical but sometimes it's scary and we need our guardian to get us through. We'll always need our guardian." Cassandra paused to put her arms around Eve, "You've faced your fears, but I'm still here. And you're still here." She pulled back and held her at arm's length, "I'm going to be fine. And you're going to be fine. And if it makes you feel better you can sign my cast when I get this ankle all wrapped up" They laughed together.

Eve pulled her in for another hug, "Thanks Cassandra."

Suddenly the back doors lit up and opened with a dishevelled Flynn stepping through them holding something that looked heavy.

"AH-HAH, Jenkins!" He called, "I got it!"

He looked around the annex finding his girlfriend and a worse for wear looking Cassandra sitting together on an oversized armchair.

He shrugged, "What did I miss?"

* * *

And we are finished! I hope you guys enjoyed it, I always struggle with endings, but I thought it fit in with the rest of the story! Thanks for reading and for the reviews! :)


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